List of Sufi orders

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Sufi orders (Arabic: طرق صوفية ṭuruq ṣūfiyya, singular: طريقة ṭarīqa) are organized spiritual lineages within the Islamic mystical tradition of Sufism. Each order traces its teachings through a chain of transmission (silsila) leading back through early Muslim ascetics to companions of the prophet Muhammad — mainly Abu Bakr and Ali ibn Abi Talib — and ultimately to Muhammad himself. While Sufi practice originated in the ascetic circles in 2nd–3rd centuries AH, formalized Sufi orders with defined institutional structures appeared gradually between the 5th and 7th centuries AH.

Sufi orders developed distinct devotional practices, liturgical forms such as dhikr, rules of spiritual training, and regional identities. Over time, they spread across the Middle East, Persia, Central Asia, South Asia, North Africa, Sub-Saharan Africa, Anatolia, and the Balkans, forming some of the most influential religious and social networks in Muslim societies. This article lists major Sufi orders arranged by historical period, geography, and recognized sub-branches.

Historical background

The origins of Sufism lie in early Islamic asceticism (zuhd) and spiritual teaching circles active in the 2nd–4th centuries AH (8th–10th centuries CE). Early figures such as Hasan al-Basri, Rabia Basri, Sahl al-Tustari, Junayd of Baghdad, and Bayazid Bastami articulated the vocabulary, ethical ideals, and metaphysical concepts that shaped later Sufi thought, though they did not establish "orders" in an institutional sense.

By the 5th–6th centuries AH, Sufi authors such as al-Qushayri and al-Hujwīrī systematized Sufi doctrine, and khānaqāhs, ribāṭs, and zawiyas emerged as centers for spiritual instruction. During this period, recognizable orders began to develop around charismatic teachers, such as ʿAbd al-Qādir al-Jīlānī (Qādiriyya), Abū al-Najīb al-Suhrawardī (Suhrawardiyya), and Ahmad Yasavī (Yasaviyya).

Between the 7th and 10th centuries AH, Sufi orders expanded widely through missionary activity, trade networks, and royal patronage, producing transregional movements such as the Naqshbandiyya, Shādhiliyya, Chishtiyya, and Khalwatiyya. In the 12th–14th centuries AH, new orders such as the Tijaniyya, Sanūsiyya, Darqāwiyya, and ‘Alawiyya appeared, often responding to colonialism, reformist debates, and social developments.

Early influential Sufis (before the emergence of orders)

The following figures predate institutional Sufi orders but are considered foundational influences:

• Hasan al-Basri (d. 110 AH / 728 CE)
• Rābiʻah al-ʻAdawiyya (d. 185 AH / 801 CE)
• Sahl al-Tustarī (d. 283 AH / 896 CE)
• Junayd al-Baghdādī (d. 298 AH / 910 CE)
• Abū Yazīd al-Bistāmī (d. 261 AH / 874 CE)
• al-Hārith al-Muḥāsibī (d. 243 AH / 857 CE)
• Abū ʿAbd al-Raḥmān al-Sulamī (d. 412 AH / 1021 CE)
• al-Qushayrī (d. 465 AH / 1072 CE)
• Abū Ismāʿīl al-Harawī (d. 481 AH / 1089 CE)
• al-Ghazālī (d. 505 AH / 1111 CE)

Sufi orders by period of foundation

Sufi orders by region

Major branches and sub-orders

Timeline of major Sufi orders

Other Sufi Orders

Other Sufi groups

• Akbariyya
• Azeemiyya
• Bayramiye (al Bayramiyya)
• Bawa Muhaiyaddeen Fellowship
• Cem Foundation (Bektashi)
• Dasuqi (Desuqiyya)
• Fultali
• Haji Bektash Veli Anatolian Cultural Association (Bektashi)
• Hurufiyya
• International Association of Sufism
• Jaririya
• Jelveti (Jalwatiyya, Celvetîyye)
• Khufiyya
• Khwajagan
• Layene
• Roshani movement
• Salihiyya

Unorthodox Sufi groups

• Adawiyya (Yazidism)
• Alevism (Shia)
• Alians (Shia)
• Al Akbariyya
• Baba Samid (Shia)
• Bektashism
• Dar-ul-Ehsan
• Haqqani Anjuman
• Inayati Order
• International Spiritual Movement Anjuman Serfaroshan-e-Islam
• Moorish Science Temple of America
• Qalandariyya
• Subud
• Sufi Ruhaniat International
• The Idries Shah Foundation
• The Chisholme Institute (The Beshara School of Esoteric Education)
• Western Sufism
  • International Sufi Centre
  • Sufi Contact
  • Sufism Reoriented
  • The Sufi Way

See also

• List of Sufis

References

Further reading

• Algar, Hamid. “Naqshbandiyya.” In: Encyclopaedia Iranica.
• Zarrabi-Zadeh, Saeed. Sufism in Iran and Central Asia. Routledge, 2021.
• Yves Bomati and Houchang Nahavandi (ed.). 2017. Shah Abbas, Emperor of Persia,1587–1629. Ketab Corporation. Los Angeles. ISBN 978-1595845672. English translation by Azizeh Azodi.

External links

• "List of Sufi Orders". The Spiritual Life. Retrieved 27 May 2021.
• "Sufi Orders and Their Shaykhs" Archived 2011-11-02 at the Wayback Machine. Sufism and Its Many Paths. Retrieved 6 June 2021.